Deep layers of underground coal are all but gone in West Virginia after 200 years of relentless mining, leaving thinner seams of coal on top of the state's beautiful mountains. But surface mining carries a huge cost: nothing less than mountains themselves. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports on how the Appalachian landscape is being fundamentally and irrevocably changed.

In Appalachia, coal companies blow the tops off of mountains to get at the coal. The damage this does to the surrounding environment and water supply is devastating.
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From the Ashes captures Americans in communities across the country as they wrestle with the legacy of the coal industry and what its future should be in the current political climate. From Appalachia to the West’s Powder River Basin, the film goes beyond the rhetoric of the “war on coal” to present compelling and often heartbreaking stories about what’s at stake for our economy, health, and climate.
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Coal Mining's Environmental Impact | From The Ashes
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This video gives background information on Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining and was created for a project in Environmental Engineering 1.
The purpose was for background only--no information on the effects are shown, although the impacts of Mountaintop Removal (both on humans and on the environment) are significant and negative.
Please watch and leave a comment for me!
The information in this video was obtained from: http://mountainjustice.org/facts/steps.php ; information about the impacts of Mountaintop Removal can also be found there.

Massive corporations are blowing up mountains and creating environmental ruins in West Virginia. All this devastation, just to extract some coal.
We went to West Virginia to investigate mountain-top removal -- which a way of extracting coal from deposits under mountains. Instead of drilling into the mountain and sending men underground to take out the coal in the traditional way, they just take the whole top of a mountain off.
Hosted by Derrick Beckles | Originally aired on http://VICE.com in 2009
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Narrated by Susan Sarandon, this video shows firsthand footage of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impacts on Appalachian mountains, drinking water and families. Mountaintop removal is a mining practice where explosives are used to blast the tops off mountains to expose the thin seams of coal beneath. Once blasted, earth and coal dust from the mountaintop is dumped into neighboring valleys and waterways. Hundreds of mountaintops have been lost forever to MTR, and according to a 2005 environmental impact statement, nearly 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams have already been buried or contaminated by the devastating mining practice. Take action today and tell banks to stop financing this American tragedy at http://ran.org/mtrbanks

The Struggle Against Mountaintop Removal: Leading Activist Mike Roselle Continues Fight Against Destructive Coal Mining
The Environmental Protection Agency recently dealt a blow to the coal mining industry when it delayed hundreds of mountaintop coal mining projects for a new review of their environmental impact. But the EPA decision still leaves in place hundreds of existing permits for mountaintop removal. The group Climate Ground Zero has been leading protests and peaceful direct actions against the company Massey Energy to prevent mountaintop removal at Coal River Mountain in West Virginia. We speak with leading activist Mike Roselle of Climate Ground Zero. [includes rush transcript]

APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS, W. Va. -- The United States is known as the Saudi Arabia of coal, with over 50 percent of our electricity generated by this abundant natural resource.
Coal also generates tremendous controversy. Much of the debate centers not on pollution, but getting the coal out of the ground.

A Congressional hearing this morning focused in part on efforts by Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) and others to study the health consequences of mountaintop removal coal mining.
Displaying a bottle of contaminated water from the well of the Urias family in Eastern Kentucky, Yarmuth questioned Dr. Matthew Wasson, director of programs for Appalachian Voices, about the need for such a study. The hearing took place in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.
"They don't need a website in their community to know there's a health problem associated with that water," Yarmuth said of those who live near mountaintop removal mining sites. "If that were the drinking water here in Congress, we not only wouldn't drink it -- we would not stand for it."
Despite more than 20 peer-reviewed studies showing correlations between increased health risks and mountaintop removal mining, the federal government has yet to conduct a single study on the health consequences of the practice, in which coal operators use heavy machinery and explosives to remove upper levels of mountains and access coal seams beneath. These operations often result in contamination of surrounding land and water supplies.
This Congress, Yarmuth introduced H.R. 526, the Appalachian Community Health Emergency (ACHE) Act, which would halt permits for mountaintop removal mining operations until the federal government can study its health impacts on nearby communities and declare the practice safe.
According to recent peer-reviewed research, people living near mountaintop removal coal mining sites have increased rates of cancer, birth defects, and mortality. Additionally, an analysis in the journal Science found communities near mountaintop removal coal mining sites experience higher rates of chronic heart, lung, and kidney disease, as well as higher levels of adult hospitalizations for chronic pulmonary disorders and hypertension.

In Appalachia, a last-minute change in mining rules by the Bush Administration affects how coal companies can dump debris in watersheds -- a major environmental impact from mountaintop-removal mining operations.
Visit AssignmentEarth.org to learn more!

Find more effects of mining right here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-does-mining-affect-the-environment.html
Mining is the source of all the substances that cannot be obtained by industrial processes or through agriculture. Mining reaps huge profits for the companies that own them and provides employment to a large number of people. It is also a huge source of revenue for the government. Despite its economic importance, the effects of mining on the environment is a pressing issue. Mining activities require the clearing of large areas of land. The chemicals used in the mining process often escape into the environment causing pollution. Watch this video to know how mining affects the environment.

In Appalachia, a last-minute change in mining rules by the Bush Administration affects how coal companies can dump debris in watersheds--a major environmental impact from mountaintop removal mining operations.

For more videos, go to http://news.discovery.com/videos/discovery-news-earth/. Mountaintop mining causes permanent damage to the environment and exposes people to serious health risks, says a new report by a leading group of scientists. Jorge Ribas reports.

Narrated by Susan Sarandon, this video shows firsthand footage of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impacts on Appalachian mountains, drinking water and families.
Mountaintop removal is a mining practice where explosives are used to blast the tops off mountains to expose the thin seams of coal beneath. Once blasted, earth and coal dust from the mountaintop is dumped into neighboring valleys and waterways. Hundreds of mountaintops have been lost forever to MTR, and according to a 2005 environmental impact statement, nearly 2,000 miles of Appalachian streams have already been buried or contaminated by the devastating mining practice.
Thanks to the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) for permission.

Christians and the environment. As proposed new rules may allow coal companies to expand mountain top removal mining, Bill Moyers Journal takes viewers to the mountains of West Virginia, which are being stripped for their coal with often disastrous environmental consequences for surrounding communities, to report on local evangelical Christians who are turning to their faith to help save the earth.
The program airs Friday, Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS.
To watch online visit: http://wwww.pbs.org/moyers
Check your local listings at:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/about/airdates.html

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held an oversight hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 9:30 AM EST entitled, The Stream Protection Rule: Impacts on the Environment and Implications for Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act Implementation. The purpose of the hearing is to examine the implications and environmental impacts of the Office of Surface Mining’s proposed Stream Protection Rule as it relates to the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act.

The Struggle Against Mountaintop Removal: Leading Activist Mike Roselle Continues Fight Against Destructive Coal Mining
The Environmental Protection Agency recently dealt a blow to the coal mining industry when it delayed hundreds of mountaintop coal mining projects for a new review of their environmental impact. But the EPA decision still leaves in place hundreds of existing permits for mountaintop removal. The group Climate Ground Zero has been leading protests and peaceful direct actions against the company Massey Energy to prevent mountaintop removal at Coal River Mountain in West Virginia. We speak with leading activist Mike Roselle of Climate Ground Zero.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/4/8/the_struggle_against_mountaintop_removal_leading

Appalachian communities are suffering as a result of mountaintop removal mining. Earthjustice is working through the courts to protect Appalachian communities from this destructive practice and to ensure the Clean Water Act is enforced.

The Trump administration and United States Congress have endangered public health by ending measures, including defunding a scientific study, that address the human and environmental risks of mountaintop removal, a form of surface coal mining prevalent in central Appalachia.

Explore mountaintop removal coal mining in the Appalachian Mountains of the US.
Take a geographical trip to the Appalachian Mountains and see the problems caused by mountain top removal coal mining. Historical overlays highlight the magnitude of mountain loss. Virtually visit the 470 mountains, and take a guided tour of one mountain, learning how it's mined and the consequences for the natural habitat and people.
See more examples of public benefit work in Google Earth at http://earth.google.com/outreach/showcase.html

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) was pleased to host award-winning author Silas House at the Virginia Festival of the Book in March 2011. Silas spoke about the tragic impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining on the rural communities and natural landscape of Appalachia.

Professor Pat McGinley, Charles H. Haden II Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law, discusses the legal regime that authorizes valley fills from mountaintop removal mining, and the environmental impacts of the fills. He is interviewed by Steve Johnson, an environmental law professor at Mercer Law School.

This is a 2-minute abbreviated version of a mountaintop removal video featured on ilovemountains.org. The video features Woody Harrelson and shows how the mountains and culture of Appalachia are being destroyed by a new form of coal mining called mountaintop removal

Professor Pat McGinley, Charles H. Haden II Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law, discusses the environmental justice implications of mountaintop removal mining. He is interviewed by Steve Johnson, an environmental law professor at Mercer Law School.

Researchers say mountaintop removal coal mining is making people sick across Appalachia.
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http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/deep-down/ Step into a virtual mining town in Second Life. Premiering Tuesday, November 23. Check local listings: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/broadcast.html
Deep in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, Beverly May and Terry Ratliff find themselves at the center of a contentious community battle over a proposed mountaintop removal coal mine.
DEEP DOWN puts a human face on the consequences of our environmental impact. Any exploration of power production in America will lead to Appalachia, a region that has supplied our nation with coal for over a century. As America's energy consumption rises, the extraction and burning of coal to meet these demands has dramatically altered the Appalachian landscape, economy, and culture. Mountaintop removal mining has stripped swaths of the ancient hills down into barren, flat-topped environmental catastrophes.
Coal is the number one industry here, with an enormous influence on local economies and people. Simultaneously, Appalachia as a region deserves our attention as a place of history, complexity, and change. It is time for us to look back to this "forgotten" region. We must trace the power lines from our homes to people far removed from our daily lives.
Find out more about DEEP DOWN: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/deep-down/ Learn more about "Independent Lens": ‪http://www.pbs.org/independentlens‬ Watch "Independent Lens" films online: http://video.pbs.org/program/1218239994/

As the US tries to pave the way in climate protection, the country's coal production has been on the decline. In addition to the environmental impact coal mining has left, communities are now feeling the economic effects of this recent shift.

Professor Pat McGinley, Charles H. Haden II Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law, provides a brief outline of the history of mountaintop removal mining. He is interviewed by Steve Johnson, an environmental law professor at Mercer Law School.

America's Most Endangered Mountains - Ison Rock Ridge, VA
Pledge to Help End Mountaintop Removal. Visit:
www.iLoveMountains.org
- - - COMMUNITY STORY - - -
Just like the region that bears its name, the town of Appalachia, Virginia, is being threatened by new permits for mountaintop removal mining.
Appalachia and nearby Andover are small communities in southwest Virginia. At one time these towns were nestled in the low-lying mountains of the region, but in the last decade or so mountaintop removal has destroyed areas all around them.
Now they only have one mountain left.
Ison Rock Ridge comes off of Black Mountain on the Virginia / Kentucky border and runs southeast toward the town of Appalachia. Its preservation is essential to the quality of life for the people in the community. Without it, residents lose an important ecosystem, and fear the destruction of their homes from landslides, as well as the contamination of their water from valley fill sediment. They also worry about disturbance from blasting and the resultant dust that often accompanys mountaintop removal mine sites.
Though the federal permit for mining on the ridge was sent back to the Army Corps of Engineers by the Environmental Protection Agency for its failure to consider the cumulative environmental impact of many mountaintop removal mines in a concentrated area, residents fear that the mine may be allowed with only minor changes on the state level.
According to the local environmental group Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards (SAMS), the Ison Rock Ridge mine would destroy three miles of streams and fill nine valleys with more than 11 million cubic yards of rock and dirt.
To support Pete and his community contact:
Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards
(276) 565-1083 • www.samsva.org
SAMS is committed to stopping the destruction of communities by surface coal mining and to help rebuild sustainable communities.

Democrat President Obama prior to becoming president stated the coal mining industry needs to go bankrupt, or something to that affect.
In keeping with the Presidents goal, the Executive Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lisa P. Jackson announced restrictions upon mountain top coal mining operations. These restrictions will curtail if not eliminate these operations in Kentucky and West Virginia, the Appalachia region. Much to the delight of the environmentalist who are in reality anti-capitalist.
This type of mining in this region is done on private land, and yet the Federal government (the Democrats) is inserting itself on private property. 50% of electric in the USA comes from coal fired power plants. Of which 10% of that coal comes from mountain top mining.
This will result in less coal being available to produce electricity, thus causing the price of electric you use to rise. This is another successful attempt by the Obama administration to degrade the standard of living in the United States of America.
It is said the USA is the Saudi Arabia of coal. However this administration refuses to issue any new coal mining permits. So when the coal beings to run out, the brown outs will spread across the land like a prairie fire. As the title on the book, "Liberalism is a mental disorder" reads, by Dr. Michael Savage.
Mountain top mining mountaintop mining propagandabuster propaganda buster Tony Appalachia West Virginia Kentucky EPA Environmental Protection Agency Democrats Democratic Party DNC President Obama ruined economy Saudi Arabia of coal standard of living Lisa P. Jackson

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/deep-down/ On Wilson Creek, neighbors grapple with a tough choice: saving land or livelihood? Premiering Tuesday, November 23. Check local listings: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/broadcast.html Deep in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky, Beverly May and Terry Ratliff find themselves at the center of a contentious community battle over a proposed mountaintop removal coal mine.
DEEP DOWN puts a human face on the consequences of our environmental impact. Any exploration of power production in America will lead to Appalachia, a region that has supplied our nation with coal for over a century. As America's energy consumption rises, the extraction and burning of coal to meet these demands has dramatically altered the Appalachian landscape, economy, and culture. Mountaintop removal mining has stripped swaths of the ancient hills down into barren, flat-topped environmental catastrophes. Coal is the number one industry here, with an enormous influence on local economies and people. Simultaneously, Appalachia as a region deserves our attention as a place of history, complexity, and change. It is time for us to look back to this "forgotten" region. We must trace the power lines from our homes to people far removed from our daily lives.
Find out more about DEEP DOWN: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/deep-down/
Learn more about "Independent Lens": ‪http://www.pbs.org/independentlens‬
Watch "Independent Lens" films online: http://video.pbs.org/program/1218239994/

Ten Unitarian Universalists and friends from Charlottesville, VA traveled to Kayford Mountain in June 2010 to witness a mountaintop removal coal mining (MTR) site. They were led by Larry Gibson, whose property is surrounded by 1200 acres of MTR. We are determined to fight to end this environmental disaster. Join us!

Coal may keep the lights on...but it keeps many people in the dark.
Through the story of my own experience as a former Appalachian coal miner, Coal Mined is a film about heritage, family, and coming to terms with the impact the coal industry has had on our lives and communities.
www.thethoughtfulcoalminer.com
--
While studying communications at Berea College​, I realized the importance of documentary film as a means of reaching the public.
I took a documentary film class under the direction of Dr. Gordon Gray​ and, along with the assistance of two other students in our group, Dylan K. Mullins​, and Richard Childers, Coal Mined was brought to life. I was hesitant to do a documentary about myself, but time constraints while taking a full course load and having a family meant traveling back home to conduct more interviews was simply impossible.
I was eventually able to take a digital editing class with Dr. Jacob Dickerson​, and now almost two years later, I decided to spend some time cleaning up the original cut. It's still very rudimentary, but at least a bit better than the original.
Again thanks to Peter Hille of MACED​, Stephen Sanders of the Appalachian Citizens' Law Center​, David Cook of Grow Appalachia​, Terry L Steele​, and Wilma Lee Steele​. for their interviews. Thanks to Anne Lewis and Appalshop​ for footage from Justice in the Coalfields, East Tennessee State University​ for some of the archival photos, and here's a huge shout out to everyone at the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center​ and the dozens of professors at Berea College who saw something in me I often couldn't find.

Professor Pat McGinley, Charles H. Haden II Professor of Law at West Virginia University College of Law, discusses his experiences representing communities affected by mountaintop removal mining. He is interviewed by Steve Johnson, an environmental law professor at Mercer Law School.

http://www.beyondcoal.org From mining, to burning, to disposal, coal is wreaking havoc on our health and our planet. Powering our country by burning coal is dangerous. It's time to transition Beyond Coal to clean, renewable sources of energy. Learn more and take action on our website http://www.beyondcoal.org -
Founded by legendary conservationist John Muir in 1892, the Sierra Club is now the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization -- with more than two million members and supporters. Our successes range from protecting millions of acres of wilderness to helping pass the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. More recently, we've made history by leading the charge to address climate disruption by moving away from the dirty fossil fuels and toward a clean energy economy.
Visit us here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SierraClub
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sierraclub
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